JERUSALEM — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu's office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but "reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” In this screen grab image from video provide by the Israeli Government Press Office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a televised statement Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Jerusalem, Israel. Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed. 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CHICAGO (AP) — Jacob Meyer scored 23 points as DePaul beat Wichita State 91-72 on Saturday. Meyer shot 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 for 6 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 7 from the line for the Blue Demons (8-2). CJ Gunn scored 22 points, shooting 9 for 12, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc. Isaiah Rivera shot 6 for 11, including 5 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points, while adding seven rebounds. Harlond Beverly led the Shockers (8-2) in scoring, finishing with 14 points. Xavier Bell added 14 points for Wichita State. Quincy Ballard also had 12 points. Rivera scored 14 points in the first half and DePaul went into halftime trailing 47-42. Meyer led DePaul with 14 points in the second half and the Blue Demons outscored Wichita State by 24 points over the final half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .South Korean authorities seek warrant to detain impeached President Yoon in martial law probe
Pep Guardiola’s side at least avoided the indignity of a sixth successive defeat in all competitions but alarm bells continue to ring at the Etihad Stadium after a dramatic late capitulation. A double from Erling Haaland – the first from the penalty spot – and a deflected effort from Ilkay Gundogan, all in the space of nine minutes either side of the break, looked to have ensured a return to winning ways. Yet Guardiola was left with his head in hands as Feyenoord roared back in the last 15 minutes with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Sergio Gimenez and David Hancko, two of them after Josko Gvardiol errors. City almost snatched a late winner when Jack Grealish hit the woodwork but there was no masking another dispiriting result. It was hardly the preparation City wanted for Sunday’s crunch trip to Liverpool, and the Feyenoord fans took great delight in rubbing that fact in. They sung the club anthem they share with Liverpool, You’ll Never Walk Alone, and chanted the name of their former manager Arne Slot, the current Reds boss. Guardiola arrived at the ground with a cut on the bridge of his nose and, once again, his side have been struck a nasty blow. Despite not being at their best, they had dominated early on against what seemed limited Dutch opposition. They threatened when a Gundogan shot was deflected wide and Haaland then went close to opening the scoring when he turned a header onto the post. Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther gifted City another chance when he passed straight to Bernardo Silva but Grealish’s fierce volley struck team-mate Phil Foden. Foden forced a save from Wellenreuther but City had a moment of alarm when Igor Paixao got behind the defence only to shoot tamely at Ederson. Nathan Ake missed the target with a header but some luck finally went City’s way just before the break when Quinten Timber, brother of Arsenal’s Jurrien, was harshly adjudged to have fouled Haaland. The Norwegian rammed home the resulting spot-kick and City returned re-energised for the second period. They won a corner when a Matheus Nunes shot was turned behind and Gundogan fired the hosts’ second – albeit with aid of a deflection – with a firm volley from the edge of the box. City turned up the heat and claimed their third soon after as Gundogan released Nunes with a long ball and his low cross was turned into the net by a sliding Haaland. It seemed City were heading for a morale-lifting victory but a couple of Gvardiol errors changed the script. The Croatian, who had a torrid time in Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing by Tottenham, first horribly misplaced a backpass and allowed Moussa to nip in and round Ederson. Ordinarily that 75th-minute reply would have been a mere consolation and City would close out the game, but Gvardiol had another moment to forget eight minutes from time. Again he gave the ball away and Feyenoord pounced. The ball was lofted into the box and Jordan Lotomba fired a shot that glanced the post and deflected across goal, where Gimenez chested in. Ederson then blundered as he raced out of his area and was beaten by Paixao, who crossed for Hancko to head into an empty net. Amid some moments of unrest in the crowd, when objects were thrown, City tried to rally in stoppage time. Grealish had an effort deflected onto the bar but the hosts had to settle for a draw.
Subscribe Search Search Sort by Relevance Title Date Subscribe ALBAWABA - Turkey's central bank made its first interest rate cut in over two years on Thursday, lowering its main interest rate by 250 basis points to 47.5%, Anadolu Agency reports. Also Read Electric vehicles predicted to make up 30% of Turkey's auto market The decision comes after the bank raised the policy rate from 8.5% to 50% in order to fight skyrocketing inflation during a series of rate rises that took place from May 2023 to March 2024. The Monetary Policy Committee of the central bank credited the action to improvements in domestic demand and inflation trends. The annual rate of inflation slowed to 47.1% in November from a record of 85% in late 2022, according to AP. Turkey's policy rate reduced by 250 basis points to 47.5%, after staying at 50% for nearly 9 months. 47.5% sits a tad bit above inflation which is now on a downward trend. These are great developments for the Turkish economy as things are starting to head in the right direction. https://t.co/Qxmm7pG532 — Ali Halabi (@xalihalabi) December 26, 2024 Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz highlighted the positive effects of Turkey's economic measures, pointing out that inflation has decreased by 28.4 percentage points during the last six months. “We continue to see the positive results of our economic program in various areas,” Yilmaz said, adding “The positive results of our transparent and predictable policy steps, which ensure strong coordination between monetary and fiscal policies, were instrumental in the Central Bank's decision to cut the policy rate after a period of 22 months.” After eight months of keeping interest rates constant, the rate decrease indicates a change in monetary policy. After lowering its August projection of 38%, the central bank now predicts that inflation will reach 44% by the end of 2024, according to AFP. Slowing domestic demand has supported disinflationary efforts, while the country’s current account balance and foreign reserves have shown notable improvement. Yilmaz also reaffirmed Turkey’s aims to reducing inflation to single-digit levels and stabilizing it over the long run. A passionate about the Gaming Industry with a career of over 5 years in the field, I write about current trends and news in the Game Development business and how it impact the industry and players. Laith has recently started a new position at Al Bawaba as a freelance business writer. Subscribe Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content Subscribe Now Subscribe Sign up to get Al Bawaba's exclusive celeb scoops and entertainment news Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content Subscribe
Five Below is practically giving its holiday décor away
LUSAKA, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese enterprises in Zambia should take a leading role in driving the country's innovation and aligning with global technological and industrial transformation, the Chinese ambassador to Zambia has said. "I urge Chinese businesses to seize emerging opportunities in Zambia in sectors such as solar power, green mining, information and communication technology, and electric vehicles, while expanding collaboration in green development and the digital economy," Ambassador Han Jing said on Friday night during the annual conference and business forum organized by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Zambia. The event included the awarding of certificates to Chinese enterprises in recognition of their contributions in various areas, including outstanding corporate social responsibility and employment advancement. The ambassador commended the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Zambia for its pivotal role in promoting trade and investment cooperation between the two nations. Zambian Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Chipoka Mulenga praised Chinese enterprises for investing in value addition to the country's raw materials. "Our government is focused on promoting value addition to raw materials, and we are pleased that Chinese enterprises have already begun investing in this area," Mulenga said. He noted that two Chinese companies have established factories in Zambia to produce electric cables from locally sourced copper. "Zambia is learning lessons from China, which has made significant efforts to promote value addition to raw materials as a strategy for economic growth," Mulenga added. "We are grateful that Chinese firms have responded to our call for investment in value addition."
Man City crisis continues as Feyenoord come from three down to draw